Liquid Metal Disease Therapy

Liquid metal (LM) is an emerging class of multifunctional material with unique advantages such as low toxicity, high mobility, and good electrical and thermal conductivity, which can amplify the therapeutic effects of various diseases under the stimulation of physical or chemical factors. Functionalization of LM, such as enhanced targeting and stimulus-responsive drug release, can further expand their therapeutic effects, making it achieve the best therapeutic effect with a better prognosis, thus improving the quality of life of patients. In this chapter, the advantages of LM in the treatment of diseases are introduced in detail, and the design schemes of LM-based biomaterials ranging from micro/nano to macro and various components are explored in depth, which provides novel ideas for the understanding of various therapeutic methods, such as photothermal therapy, sonodynamic therapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. In addition, this study also summarizes the latest application progress of LM-based biomaterials in a variety of diseases, such as tumor therapy, atherosclerosis treatment, anti-infective therapy, tissue repair, brain-related disease, and heart-rhythm diseases. Based on the extraordinary advantages of LM, the current challenges and opportunities for the future development of LM in disease treatment are discussed.